frown vs make a face

frown is a noun but make a face is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
frown	Yes	No	Yes	No
make a face	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, make a face is a hypernym of frown; that is, make a face is a word with a broader meaning than frown:

frown: look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
make a face: contort the face to indicate a certain mental or emotional state

Other hypernyms of frown include grimace, pull a face.

frown (noun)	make a face (noun)
a facial expression of dislike or displeasure

frown (verb)	make a face (verb)
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval	contort the face to indicate a certain mental or emotional state